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Brookfield to open its first human milk dispensary

BROOKFIELD -- MD Custom RX will be home to Brookfield's first 'human milk dispensary,' opening this Friday.

According to a news release, the pasteurized donor human milk will be dispensed to families who would prefer to use screened human milk instead of cow's milk-based formula when their health care provider recommends it.

The milk will be provided by Mothers' Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes, which primarily serves premature babies in hospitals. With the new dispensary, the bank is offering donor milk to families at home when mothers are ill, have low milk supply or in cases of adoption or surrogacy.

Dad and pharmacist, John Waclawski, along with daughter and pharmacist Monica Zatarski, say they happily answered the call.

"Not only Monica, and I, and Dan, you know, the family business. But as human beings it's what we do," said Waclawski.

For those who need milk, all they have to do is get a script from their doctor. Then, just like any other prescription, the pharmacy fills it. A human milk dispensary helps mothers in many different situations like surrogacy, adoption, difficulty nursing, or in more common cases pre-mature babies.

"The baby comes early," said Zatarski,"we think that about 50 percent of preterm mothers can't make enough milk to meet the baby's need"

As a mother of three herself, Zatarski says nursing is hard. Without the dispensary, she says, moms are more likely to use questionable milk.

"They can find black market options for obtaining breast milk," said Zatarski, "A lot of unknowns when you don't know who or what your source your breast milk is."

Summer Kelly, Executive Director of Mothers' Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes, says the human milk goes through rigorous safety protocols before being dispensed.

"Donors are blood tested and thoroughly screened for diseases and the use of tobacco, alcohol, and medications," she said.

Mother's Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes takes donor milk, pasteurizes, freezes, and then ships it to dispensaries to be sold. MD Custom Rx Pharmacy sells four ounces of human donor milk for $20.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held this Friday at noon at MD Custom RX's Brookfield location.